Friedan home for sale
House was childhood residence of one of Peoria’s most famous residents
PEORIA – Terri Sheets felt like it was meant to be when she saw the childhood home of feminist crusader Betty Friedan was for sale in the summer of 2023.
“We had been looking for homes for quite a while and nothing was a good fit, then 1011 N. Farmington Road popped up. I love that part of town, and when I saw the Betty Friedan tie-in, it was a no brainer,” said Terri Sheets, who moved there with her husband, Bill. “Bill and I moved from Austin, Texas, and were huge political activists. We marched at the capitol on many occasions, fighting for teachers' rights, women's productive rights... I became an organizer for health care rights and held many meetings at my home . ... We even had our photo as the main photo on the Obamacare website for a while.”
Caretakers of Peoria history
In the summer of 2023, the couple was up against a competitive housing market when they decided to move back to Bill's hometown to support his aging parents. Terri Sheets watched the market obsessively until the day the Friedan house showed up online.
“Renae Dietrich, our Realtor, did a video tour with me and then we put in an offer that day and got the house,” said Terri Sheets.
Though they have enjoyed living in the home,
A biography of noted Peoria author and feminist Betty Friedan sits on a table in the dining room of her childhood home, currently for sale at 1011 N. Farmington Road in Peoria. they decided it's just too big and are downsizing to a bungalow in Peoria Heights. Though they lived in Friedan's former home for less than a year, they took their job as caretakers of a piece of Peoria history quite seriously.
“The guy we bought it from had actually done a lot of the painting. He spent a lot of time filling cracks and the painting is beautiful, so we did more of the underbelly stuff – the plumbing and bathroom remodeling, and updating the kitchen, stuff that really needed upgrading,” said Terri Sheets.
A home filled with history
Built in 1924, the two-story brick house faces Farmington Road near Main Street and has more than 2,500 square feet of living space. When the home was built, Farmington was not the busy thoroughfare it is today.
“Back in the day this was just a two-lane road out front. I can imagine it was a very lovely, quiet place to live,” said Sheets. “The park has been the most lovely thing that I'm really gonna miss – when you look out the front windows that's your view, Laura Bradley Park.”
Terri Sheets thinks the house may have been divided into two apartments at one point because it has two HVAC systems, but many original features remain.
“There's original hardwood from 1924 in here, it's kind of special. A lot of the built-ins and trim around the windows are all original. It's got 12-inch baseboards which are beautiful.”
With four large bedrooms, two and a half baths, a spacious attic and a dry basement, there is room to roam.